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Italian model-turned Bollywood actress Rosa Catalano is in the eye of a controversy with the producer of her forthcoming film charging her of violating the agreement signed with him and threatening to get her deported. Claiming that Rosa, the former girlfriend of actor Saif Ali Khan, does not have a working visa, Kamal, the producer of 'Deshdrohi', a film where she appears in an item number, has written to the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association, asking them to ban her from working in Bollywood films, if the actress does not fulfil her commitment as per the agreement signed with him. Alleging that Rosa was refusing to promote his film despite having signed an agreement which requires her to give four days for the promotion of the film, Kamal, whose 'DeshDrohi' is slated for release soon, said, ''Though she attended the film's music release, she has refused to participate in any other promotional event for it." ''She is now asking for extra money for attending functions and promotional events for the film. This is contrary to the agreement signed by her with us, wherein she is required to give four days for the music release and promotional events of the film. The agreement also says that she will not be paid anything extra for taking part in the promotional events.'' Kamal is also angry at Rosa going to the press, saying the producers have not paid her the due for the film. In an interview to an English Daily, Rosa alleged that a cheque paid to her by Kamal bounced. Responding to the charge, Kamal said, ''The cheque paid to Rosa was in lieu of an agreement for our new film. She was to sign the agreement, but did not sign it. However, she took the cheque and her secretary took the cheque and agreement to her house saying that she will sign the agreement at her house and send it back. She sent the cheque to the bank in the meantime without signing the agreement which she cannot do. So, the cheque has not bounced, but the payment was stopped.''
Agreement reached on US-Afghan security pact, no 'apology'
Secretary of State John Kerry announced Wednesday that he and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have reached an agreement on a critical security pact governing the presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014. The document will be presented to a meeting of tribal elders for their approval on Thursday. "I'm pleased to say that in a series of conversations with President Karzai over the course of this morning ... that we reached an agreement as to the final language of the bilateral security agreement," Kerry announced. The leaders are still looking for the endorsement of tribal elders for the document, which is not yet signed. Kerry, though, denied that there was any sort of "apology" in the works, following reports on Tuesday that as part of the deal, President Obama would send a letter to the Afghan people acknowledging "mistakes." It's unclear whether there might be a letter of some kind, but Kerry rejected the idea that any part of the deal would constitute an apology. "Let me be clear: President Karzai didn't ask for an apology. There was no discussion of an apology. There will -- there is no -- I mean, it's not even on the table. He didn't ask for it, we're not discussing it," Kerry said. The deal is still not finalized. Approval by the traditional council of 3,000 prominent Afghans, known as the Loya Jirga, is not guaranteed. The group can revise or reject any clause of the draft agreement, and a flat-out rejection would most likely prevent the Afghan government from signing it. "We have agreed on the language that would be submitted to the Loya Jirga, but they have to pass it," Kerry said. The biggest sticking point has been the Afghan government's jurisdiction over U.S. troops. The Afghans wanted to try U.S. troops in Afghanistan if they commit a crime, something the U.S. ruled out. There was also the issue of night raids -- the details of what U.S. forces will be allowed to do if they remain after 2014 remains controversial. While U.S. officials have not yet disclosed the number of U.S. troops they want to keep in Afghanistan post-2014, Kerry said the role of the U.S. military would be "limited." "It is entirely train, equip and assist. There is no combat role for United States forces, and the bilateral security agreement is a way to try to clarify for Afghans and for United States military forces exactly what the rules are with respect to that ongoing relationship," he said. The deaths of Afghan civilians at the hands of U.S.-led NATO forces have been a sensitive issue in the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, although more Afghan civilians die as a result of insurgent attacks.
Yemen government signs peace agreement with Shiite rebels
Yemeni government officials and Shiite rebels signed a peace agreement on Sunday following days of violence that left more than 140 people dead and sent thousands fleeing their homes, state media said, although major rebel advances earlier in the day deepened a sense of uncertainty in the country. The agreement calls for an immediate cease-fire and the formation of a technocratic government within a month after consultations with all political parties, a U.N. envoy said later at a joint news conference with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the capital, Sanaa. "The head of the government may not belong to any political group," Jamal Benomer said, reading from the document, which, he added, also calls for security forces to be restructured based on consultations with the political parties. Just hours earlier, state media reported that the country's prime minister had resigned, but the president's office denied it had received any such request. The conflicting information came as the rebels, called Hawthis, seized numerous strategically important installations in Sanaa, including the Defense Ministry, the Central Bank, a key military base and Iman University, military and security officials said. An official at the Defense Ministry later said that the situation there was "normal and stable" and that the building had not been attacked. The Hawthis have in recent months routed their Islamist foes in a series of battles north of Sanaa, and in recent days consolidated and expanded their grip on areas just to the north of the capital. Their foes have traditionally been Sunni Islamist militias allied with the government or the fundamentalist Islah party. The Hawthis have been pressing for a change of government and what they see as a fair share of power. In many cases, officials said the rebels handed over installations they captured to the military police or to popular committees comprising Hawthis and local residents to protect them against looting. However, they dealt harshly with personnel and installations associated with their foes in years of war, such as the university, which was seen as a bastion of Sunni hard-liners and a recruitment hub for militants. On Sunday afternoon, the official SABA news agency announced the resignation of Mohammed Salem Bassindwa but gave no details. A subsequent report by the agency quoted the president's office as saying it had not received any such request. Bassindwa took office shortly after former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down. He has been in office since February 2012 and has been sharply criticized for his inability to deal with the country's pressing problems. The military base captured by the Hawthis is the headquarters of the army's 1st Armored Division, an elite outfit led by Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who has led several military campaigns against the Hawthis in the north. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief reporters. There were no official casualty figures from Sunday's violence. Hawthi rebels captured the state television building on Saturday. Interior Minister Hussein al-Terb issued a statement Sunday calling on policemen in the capital to "cooperate" with the Hawthis in maintaining security, a move seen as an attempt to stop the city from descending into lawlessness. The Defense Ministry and the General Staff earlier in the day called on military units in Sanaa and nearby areas to remain at their posts, be on high alert and safeguard their weapons and equipment. The Hawthis waged a six-year insurgency that officially ended in 2010. The following year, an Arab Spring-inspired uprising shook the country, eventually forcing Saleh to step down in 2012 as part of a U.S.-backed deal giving him immunity from prosecution. Yemen, one of the Arab world's poorest nations, is facing multiple challenges. In addition to the Hawthi rebels, an al-Qaida branch in the south poses a constant threat as it tries to impose control over cities and towns. The U.S. considers Yemen's local branch of al-Qaida to be the world's most dangerous, and has helped support Yemeni government offensives against it with drone strikes. On Saturday, the U.N. envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, had signaled that an agreement was reached to halt the violence, and that preparations were underway to sign the accord. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement issued Sunday, welcomed the agreement and called for it "to be implemented in full and without delay."